Senate to Hold Confirmation Hearing Wednesday for Gov. Kristi Noem, Nominee for DHS Secretary

FAIR Take | January 2025
This Wednesday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) will hold a confirmation hearing for South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, President-elect Trump’s nominee to be the next Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Governor Noem, who has served as Governor since 2019, previously served as South Dakota’s sole representative in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2019.
If confirmed as Secretary of Homeland Security, Governor Noem will oversee more than 260,000 employees, including the critical immigration agencies that make up the department: Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). These agencies oversee border security, interior immigration enforcement, and our legal immigration processes.
In December, HSGAC Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voiced strong support for Noem. According to Sen. Paul, his “first order of business” as chairman will be confirming her, something he aims to do during inauguration week at the latest. Governor Noem began meeting with Sen. Paul and other Senators last month to build support for her nomination. At the time, Noem was hopeful for Democratic support, saying, “I think Republicans and Democrats in this country recognize how important homeland security is, and that we’re working together to make sure that we’re safe.”
The National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), the official union of the Border Patrol, also supports her confirmation. In December, NPBC President Paul Perez sent a letter to Sen. Paul and the ranking Democrat on the committee, Sen. Gary Peters (Mich.). In that letter, Perez urged the committee to quickly confirm Governor Noem. Perez said, “Governor Noem is a seasoned leader who knows how to get things done…We are confident that as Secretary, Governor Noem will continue to ensure Border Patrol agents have the resources and manpower that we need to secure our border.”
During her time as Governor of South Dakota, Noem took strong positions on immigration. Describing the Biden border crisis an “invasion,” she backed reinforcing the border wall and better screening of refugees. Under her leadership, South Dakota was the first state to send National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021 to assist Texas following the Biden administration’s failure to enforce our laws. In a social media post this October, Noem said, “South Dakota doesn’t complain about things – we fix them…We will continue to do our part. We have another group of South Dakota National Guard soldiers scheduled to deploy to the Southern Border on a federal activation later this Fall. And we will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the cartels’ influence here at home.”
In the statement announcing her nomination, President-elect Trump praised Noem. “She will work closely with ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan to secure the border and will guarantee that our American homeland is secure from our adversaries,” said Trump. “I have known Kristi for years and have worked with her on a wide variety of projects. She will be a great part of our mission to make America safe again.” After meeting with her, Homan said he was “very confident she’s going to do a great job.” He continued, “I briefed her on many of my plans and my thoughts…She asked very, very detailed questions, so she understands it.”
Following consideration in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Governor Noem will next face a final confirmation vote in the full Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has promised a speedy confirmation process for cabinet nominees, including Governor Noem. In remarks on the Senate floor last week, Sen. Thune said, “President Trump has shown he wants to get to work quickly executing the mandate that he’s received from the American people. And he deserves to have his team in place in order to help him do that. That’s going to require some work from the Senate. And we’re ready to get to it.”
To view the confirmation hearing live on Wednesday, click here.
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